Foot wraps/nippes

Nippes ( pronounced knee-pay) are possibly the least known or understood piece of equipment essential to the historical milicean. 

Nippes are foot wraps made to be stuffed into moccicans in the winter. It appears to be a practice adopted by Canadians from Indigenous techniques. 

Interestingly, there is a modern equivalent from the soviet army of the 20th century; portyanki. I’ve been unable to find another culture or military group in any era using foot wraps like this. So, without knowing the form that nippes took in the 18th century, I’ve chosen to extrapolate how nippes may have been used using the example of Soviet portyanki.

 Pictured below is a Soviet era explanation of how to wrap portyanki. 

François-Charles de Bourlamaque, the colonial and third in charge of French regular troops during the French and Indian war, issued:

 “1/2 aune of cradle blanket for moccasin liners”. 

Bourlamaque issued nippes along with 2 pairs of chassons which are wool slippers to be used as moccian liners. Some officers of the time period also issued nippes only, others seemed to issue chaussons only. At least two I know of, Bourlamaque and François Bigot specify nippes to be made from cradle blankets. 

Bigot gives his soldiers “1 cradle blanket for nippes to put in the shoes” which in my estimation is enough for two pairs of nippes.

Going by Bourlamaque’s list we get one half aune of cradle blanket, probably for just one pair. 

According to dictionary.com the word Aune is, “an old French unit of measure for fabrics, equivalent to about 47 inches (119 centimeters).” 

So 1/2 aune is about 23.5 inches. 

That is 23.5 inches of “cradle blanket.”

HBChearitage.ca defines the range of blankets “for children’s cribs” in an early 20th century advertisement pictured below. In  descending size order they are 2 1/2 points down to 1 point. The attached article seems to imply that the HBC sizes listed are consistant with ones from France in the mid 18th century and I’ve been unable to find another source for the size of cradle blankets as they relate to the 18th century in New France. 

https://www.hbcheritage.ca/things/fashion-pop/hbc-point-blanket

I’m assuming that the French army was issuing one point blankets as cradle blankets to be cut in half and issued to each man. I think this because it is the smallest, and thus cheapest, size. So my modern recreation here is an example of the smallest size for nippes.

The HBC measures a one point blanket as 32 inches wide by 46 inches long. 

So, about 23.5 inches by 32 inches for the total amount of fabric given to each person in my estimation. 

Which, would be one cradle blanket cut in half horizontally, because, one cradle blanket is about 1 aune long and 32 inches wide. That’s the total cloth issued to each soldier.

A modern recreation of the size of one, one point, cradle blanket.

If you fold your 1/2 aune of cradle blanket length wise you get two pieces that are 12 inches by 32 inches wide.

Folded width wise you get two pieces that are 16 inches by 23 inches. 

So to my mind you can make your nippes one of two ways.

I haven’t yet tested each size of nippes in the field but each size seems to give an equivalent amount of coverage once wrapped around the foot to me. Pictured below are my two feet, one wrapped in each size.

When I use moccicans in the winter I generally wear wool stockings with a pair or two of chaussons then wrap my feet in nippes and my feet have stayed warm and even dry! 

Although my treatment of nippes is largely speculative and includes cross cultural analysis to fill in the blind spots, I’m  confident that historical nippes would have taken a very similar form to what I’ve described. 

I’ve found nippes to be a very practical winter foot wrap, they can be dried quickly because it’s a simple piece of fabric, they stay tightly wrapped within the moccican, don’t chafe, and if the part of the nippe you’ve used for the bottom of your foot is wet you can re wrap it to have that part dry on the bottom of your foot. 

I would encourage you to safely experiment with nippes and winter moccicans! 

The lists of issued items from the 18th century I used were from The Equipment of New France Militia 1740-1760, by Steve Delisle and Mémoire Pour Messire François Bigot, ci-devant Intendant de Justice, Police, Finance & Marine en Canada, Accusé: Contre Monsieur le Procureur-Général du Roi en la Commission, Accusateur: Contenant l'Histoire de l'Administration du sieur Bigot dans la Colonie, & des Réfléxions générales sur cettes Administration, Volume 1 (Paris: P. Al. Le Prieur, 1763) 39-40.)

A Very Brave Behind a Tree Book Review

 Raiders from New FranceNorth American Forest Warfare Tactics, 17th–18th Centuries René Chartrand, Author, Adam Hook, illustrator 

This is an essential work for anyone reenacting the “French and Indian War”. It is particularly useful for anyone reenacting a milicean of that conflict. The subject matter Rene Chartrand chose to focus on is largely of the 17th century. This is especially interesting to us 18th century reenactors because it shows that this hybrid Indigenous- Canadian warfare had been happening,successfully, for over one hundred years before the war began, before any of our persona’s would have been called for service to the parish and king. This work is the lineage of the Raiders from New France passed down to the raiders of the 1700’s. 

Chartrand highlights the realities that it was Native Warriors and Canadian milice who almost single handedly carried out the will of France, sacrificing their own bodies in the process. Chartrand does not delve deep into the political motivations of the Indigenous population of New France and I would like to see a more detailed book written in this aspect.  Chartrand does acknowledge the vital role that Indigenous leaders played in the politics of  New France and the fact that they forged their own destinies alongside their  European counterparts as opposed to beneath them. 

The work is expertly illustrated by Adam Hook whose illustrations are clearly deeply researched and highlight Interesting pieces of the story. His illustrations are not only informative but convey fierce emotion, showcasing the brutality of these hundreds of years old events. 

The adoption of First Nations techniques and the blending of 16th century European naval equipment along with a distinct home team advantage and the cooperation of the people in New France are what Chartrand argues led to the often overlooked military brilliance of the Raiders from New France.